


The Dark Hour

by dimi13



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - MAMA (EXO Music Video), Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, Drama, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-04-28 19:48:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14456478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dimi13/pseuds/dimi13
Summary: This is a story as old as time. A story about the eternal struggle between two opposing forces. The forces of light and darkness. This is a story of extraordinarily gifted human beings that are capable of both Good and...Evil.





	1. Intro

Hello, dear readers. Do gather around, because I have a story for you all. It’s a story about:

Magic.

Magic has existed for as long as there has been life. Life has existed for as long as there has been magic. It is impossible to think back to a time when neither of these two forces coexisted with one another. A grand symbol and proof of this harmonic coexistence is, The Tree of Life. The tree holds and protects the life and the magic of the world. Through its roots, magic was able to surge throughout the Earth and provide life with the tools to instigate change and progress. Peoples of the Earth were now gifted with extraordinary abilities that could be used for the betterment of humanity.

However, as with everything in this world, there are always two sides to every story. Yes, magic is good. It is what allowed for life to thrive and for the world to blossom. Nonetheless, magic is not without fault.

Once the people of the world had a taste of the power, that magic provided, many of them became thirsty for more. These gifted people began to covet a power that was not meant to be theirs, and as a result, they invoked a darker side of magic that had been dormant, from deep within their hearts. This newfound power proved to be too great for the people of the world to contain, and the possibility of an inevitable and untimely end to the world became more and more real with each passing day.

Fortunately, the world was not sent into utter chaos as most people thought it would. In order to stop the deep-seeded desire for more power, in the hearts of the people, the Tree of Life split itself in two and hid each side. With the disappearance of the tree, people no longer seemed to covet a power that was not theirs, and so, the dark power that shrouded their hearts loosened its grip.

But, what happened after? Where did the Tree of Life disappear to? And, did magic disappear with it? Did the darkness really retreat? Or, is it lying in wait, deep in the hearts of people, just biding its time for the right moment to rise again and send the world into mayhem? Should the darkness even be blamed for what happened? Or, should the blame be put on the people’s selfish desire for more power, instead?

This is a story as old as time. A story about the eternal struggle between two opposing forces. The forces of light and darkness. This is a story of extraordinarily gifted human beings that are capable of both Good and...

Evil.


	2. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Years ago, on a moonless night…

A set of wooden oak double doors stand firm in front. A slender hand waves over them and, without ever physically touching them, the doors begin to open. It’s an immediate response. Almost as if the doors had been waiting for this person’s arrival. 

The first few steps of the stairway leading down can be seen, but beyond that, nothing. It’s pitch black. With the mere sight of a normal human, one could never hope to see to where in the darkness those stairs lead. The slender hand is once again waved in the air, but this time, instead of another set of doors opening, torches hanging on grey stone walls that were once hidden in the blackness, come to life and burn with a bright flame.

The clicking of heels is heard as they descend the stone steps. It’s cold. Too cold. There isn’t a way for the cold winds outside to enter the underground chamber, but yet it is still so very cold. The stone walls don’t provide any type of insulation from the chill of the cold earth that surrounds the space. By the light of the lit torches, one can see traces of moss beginning to grow in the far corners of the chamber where the stone walls have cracked and a higher level of moisture has managed to seep through. That moisture being the culprit for the prominent damp and musty odor that now taints the air.

It appears quite out of place, but right in the center of the room stands a bed. Big and spacious enough for at least three people. The bed is decorated with multiple white plush pillows of various sizes, white bed satin sheets and a deep burgundy duvet. Compared to the rest of the room, the bed seems the most welcoming. 

The owner of the slender hand takes tentative steps towards the bed. A long, flowing dark green dress glides over the surface of the stone floor. The woman in the dark green dress trembles as she nears the bed in the center. Rather than trembling from the continuous dropping temperature of the room; it is actually the surging waves of nervousness, fear, and immense sorrow that threaten to tear her apart. She holds on tightly to the bundle of joy, wrapped in a cloth the color of night, in her arms and savors the last few moments that they’ll have together.

The woman’s long raven black hair falls forward over her shoulders as she gently leans over and places her child onto the bed. Fair skin is exposed as the child is freed from the confinement of the dark cloth. Hair, the same color of midnight as the mother’s, gently falls just over the child’s sleeping eyes. The woman is grateful that her baby’s wide and curious eyes are closed to what he is about to do. She gently caresses her child’s cheek as she finishes tucking in her little one. She can’t help the tears that escape her, and it’s not as if she cares if she cries because there isn’t anyone around to tell her to stop. No one to tell her that disposing of her child is what’s best for the world and that she should understand. No one to tell her that this is what’s best for the people of the nation to survive. No one to tell her any more of those outright selfish and evil lies. 

The woman cries because she can. She cries because she just can’t keep it together anymore. She cries because she is so tired of pretending that all of this is okay, when it really isn’t. She cries because this is it. This is the last time she will ever see her baby for as long as she lives. 

The mother kneels down on the side of the bed and carefully takes her child’s small hand in between hers. She rubs the back of the little one’s hand with her thumbs as her breathing levels out. She doesn’t know how much time has gone by, but the growing discomfort on her knees from being in contact with the cold hard stone floor is a sign enough that she should get up now. It’s already been too long. Her body still trembles; the exhaustion of breaking down only working with all the other factors that started her undoing. 

She holds on tightly to her child’s hand. She really doesn’t want to go. Every bone in her body, every motherly instinct tells her, not to abandon her child. She wills herself to look at her child’s face. Her little one looks so at peace. She is glad that her child is not aware of what’s going on. She is glad that her child has their eyes closed to a world that rejects them and deems them a monster. She is glad her child won’t have to be exposed to that knowledge. She only loathes the fact that in order to spare her little one from the fear and hatred of others, she will have to send her child away. If she wants her child to survive, she will have to abandon her baby, here and now. 

The mother lets her trembling hand caress the familiar, fair skin of her child’s face. She cups the right side of the sleeping child’s face,her eyes burning with frustrated tears. Her throat aches as she tries to swallow the knot in her throat, formed from her undeniable feelings of guilt and uselessness. She licks her lips and sadly gazes down at her little one. Her voice trembles and breaks as she utters her deepest regrets.

“My little baby...I’m so, so sorry. I am sorry I couldn’t protect you. I am sorry I couldn’t help you...”

Another wave of heavy emotions threatens to rattle her body. The pain of what she is about to do begins to eat away at her insides.

“...my child...I am sorry about a lot of things...but what I am most sorry about...what I truly regret, is the fact that I-...I regret, horribly so, that I couldn’t be a better mother to you. I am so sorry.”

More tears fall from the mother’s eyes and suddenly, it has become very hard to look at her innocent child’s face any longer. She grips tightly at her little one’s hand and caresses the back of her child’s hand, just like she had been doing. She takes deep breaths to gather herself and finally, after prolonging her stay as long as she could, she finally gathers the courage to say goodbye.

“My child, please forgive me. I will wait and pray for the day when we can see each other again.”

The mother brings her lips to her child’s hand and leaves a tender kiss on the fair skin. Her eyes are closed as she pushes herself up from the floor and turns away from her sleeping child. With her back to the bed, she forces herself to walk towards the steps leading up and out of the cold chamber. Although pain and sorrow have now permanently etched themselves deep in her heart, she also can’t deny the deep burning hatred that is now beginning to flow through her veins. As she climbs the steps, she finds that she won’t be able to forgive the people who did this to her and to her child. Forcing her to choose between them and her child was and is unforgivable. They never even gave her little one a chance. They wanted her child destroyed, but she couldn’t let that happen. Not ever. Which is why she took matters into her own hands. 

No one knows about the whereabouts of this chamber. No one knows that in the dead of night, she had taken the liberty of sneaking her child out of the home she shared with the person she thought was her loving husband. Just like how no one knows about any of this, she will have to make it so that no one will ever find out. She will have to convince those people, who dared call themselves her friends and family, that she took matters into her hands to dispose of the innocent child they branded as a monster. It saddens her that in order to accomplish this, she had to hide her child away. Putting her little one into a deep slumber and erasing any trace of his existence in the physical world. It pains her greatly that she had to come to these extremes, but there was no other way. Her child couldn’t be killed. She wouldn’t allow such an atrocity to happen.

The woman in the deep emerald dress forces herself to keep going up the steps. The severity of what she has done weighs heavily on her shoulders. She reminds herself that this is the best she could do. This is all she could do. That at least like this, her child would live. She finally reaches the top of the steps and takes in a suffocating breath. She doesn’t look back as she waves her hand and the double doors close behind her. She keeps walking and leaves behind her little bundle of joy, who will forever be hidden behind the double doors of wooden oak. The little one who will forever reside in a deep slumber, tucked warmly in the bed situated at the center of the chamber. Hidden deep under the earth and concealed by blackness, the child will sleep with only the company of a sad rhythmic lullaby of water droplets dripping down from the ceilings of the chamber, onto the cold stone floor.


	3. Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just another day....

It’s cold. Too cold. It’s the kind of cold that sends shivers running down his spine and causes goosebumps to form all over his body. Breathing is difficult. The air around is thick and heavy with so much moisture. A damp and sticky feeling settles over his body. It’s so dark and lonely here. Not a sound can be heard and not a single thing can be seen. He raises his hand to his face, but he isn't even able to see it due to the pitch black darkness that surrounds him. 

An overwhelming sense of sadness and worthlessness takes over. It doesn’t feel good. He doesn't want to be here. This place, wherever it is, it isn’t a good place. An urgent want to leave this place settles within him and his body begins to feel restless because it can’t find a way out. He wants to leave and run, but something he just can't quite pinpoint is keeping him there. He doesn't know what it is, but as much as he tries to fight back and move and force himself to leave and abandon this place, his body just won’t react. His breathing is unstable and he can feel the walls closing in on him. He doesn't know where he is or how he got there. He wants to leave, but something is holding him back against his will. 

He wants to scream and he opens his mouth to make a sound but nothing comes out. Somewhere in the darkness he suddenly hears, what sounds to be, the clicking of a heel on a hard surface. It sounds like someone is walking away, by how the sound starts to slowly fade away; sounding more distant as the seconds tick away. For whatever reason, the fading sound strikes something within him and he knows that he most definitely cannot let the source of that sound go. He can’t. He decides to make one last effort and opens his mouth to scream... 

˙˚˙༓࿇༓˙˚˙

A pair of wide eyes flutter open abruptly. Do Kyungsoo, a seemingly sixteen year old high school boy sits up with a jolt. He is rudely awakened by a sense of panic and a shortness of breath. He lays his hand over his chest and he can feel the erratic beating of his heart against his chest. He can feel that both the back and front of his shirt is damp with his sweat. Kyungsoo runs his tongue over his lips and finds his mouth is dry and that there is a familiar metallic taste on his tongue. He can only assume he bit the inside of his cheek, again, while he slept causing it to bleed. The morning rays of sunlight creep in underneath the closed blinds over his bedroom window. He gets out of bed and steps into the bathroom across the hall from his room. He peels of his shirt and boxers and steps into the shower. The torrent of water runs in a perfectly comfortable state between hot and cold. 

He can’t recall when he started having those nightmares. He can’t even really recall what the nightmares even consist of. A terrible chill always tends to settle itself deep within his bones every time those nightmares visit him, which is how he knows that he has the same nightmare over and over again. Kyungsoo begins to hum quietly to himself to settle his nerves while he showers. A knock on the bathroom door startles his already frazzled mind. It’s his mother telling him to hurry up or he will be late for school. She informs him that he only has fifteen minutes left before the bus arrives at the bus stop to pick him up. Kyungsoo lowly mutters a few curses at that. He remembers that he has already been late to school more than once and one more late slip and he’ll have to be in detention for a whole week. He can’t be late. 

˙˚˙༓࿇༓˙˚˙

The sunlight shines brightly, but weirdly enough, instead of a warm sensation, a cool chill settles itself on fair skin. Not minding the strange temperature in the air, Kyungsoo routinely walks the same sidewalk he always does when school is over. He looks forward and catches sight of a familiar black gate that encloses a small family home. A small smile settles itself on Kyungsoo’s face as he speeds up his pace. The gate door squeaks loudly as Kyungsoo pushes it forward. The high pitch squeak makes Kyungsoo recall having seen the oil-can back in the garage. He’d have to fix the gate later.

“Kyungsoo!”

Kyungsoo’s eyes shift towards the person who shouted his name. His eyes land on a petite figure kneeling beside the flower-bed of the his house’s front yard. 

“Hi, Mom!”

Kyungsoo’s mom pats at the sweat on her forehead with the end sleeves of her white blouse as Kyungsoo makes his way towards her.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh, nothing much. Just tending to the white tulips. I know they’re your favorite flower so I should keep them well, don’t you think?”

Kyungsoo nods and can’t help but to smile brightly at his mom’s actions. He extends his hand out to help his mom stand when she starts to rise from her spot on the grass.

“Ah, thank you. Now let’s go inside. I made your favorite snack.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes brighten at that. He follows behind his mother as they enter their house. The sweet, rich smell of warm peanut lingers in the air. Kyungsoo takes one sniff and his mouth instantly begins to water. He follows his mother to the kitchen and takes a seat at the kitchen table. His mother takes out a tray of freshly baked peanut butter cookies from the oven and sets them in right in front of Kyungsoo. The doe-eyed boy reaches over to grab one of the cookies but his hand is promptly slapped away by his mother.

“And what do you think you’re doing, young man? Don’t you see these cookies just came out of the oven? You’ll burn yourself if you try to eat one right now.”

Heart shaped lips form into a pout. Kyungsoo’s mom shakes her head at her son’s adorableness; not quite comprehending how a sixteen year old boy could still be this cute.

“Just wait a few minutes until they cool down. In the meantime you can have some homemade lemonade.”

Kyungsoo still pouts but nods, nonetheless. His mom takes out a tall glass and fills it to the top with ice cold lemonade. Kyungsoo gulps more than half of the glass down before his mom could set the jar of lemonade back down on the counter. Kyungsoo’s mother looks at him questioningly.

“What? It was hot today. I got thirsty.” Kyungsoo gives his mother a blinding smile as he tries to muster his best attempt at being cute. He knows his mom can’t resist it.

His mom sighs. “How can my baby be this big but so cute at the same time?”

Kyungsoo shrugs nonchalantly and blinks up at his mother as innocently as he can. The action musters a quiet laugh from his mother.

“So, how was school? Did you learn anything new? Did you make any new friends?”

Without giving it a second thought, Kyungsoo simply shrugs. “It was fine. Just the usual. I spoke to a few people here and there.” It was an automatic response to a question he couldn’t really answer anyway, because, truth be told, he couldn’t quite remember if he even spoke to anyone that day. His memories of the day were all a blur, but Kyungsoo didn’t think too much of it. He sips at the cold lemonade in his glass and savors the complimenting tastes of sourness from the lemon and the sweetness of the sugar. It was delicious and refreshing. Although he couldn’t stop thinking about the peanut butter cookies that were merely an arm’s length away. 

“Hmm. Really? Well, you’ve always been a good student so I’m sure I have nothing to worry about, right?”

Kyungsoo nods, alleviating his mother’s worries and reaches over for one of the delicious cookies. He bites down on his favorite treat and can’t help the moan of satisfaction. “Mom these cookies are really the best. I love you so much!”

His mom smiles warmly at him and encourages him to eat some more. She steps out to the front yard for a second before coming back inside. Kyungsoo watches as his mother comes back in with a small bouquet of white tulips in hand.

“What’s that for?”

“Just a little something to brighten up the house.”

Kyungsoo’s mom brings down a vase from one of the top kitchen shelves and fills it with water. She places the tulips into the vase carefully and sets them on the kitchen island. “What do you think? Pretty, no?”

Kyungsoo has his mouth stuffed with peanut butter cookies and can’t muster a verbal reply so he settles for two thumbs up.

“Tch, tch. Slow down Kyungsoo~ I know I told you to eat some more, but you’ll get a stomach ache if you continue like that.”

Kyungsoo swallows the food in his mouth. “Yeah, mom. I’ll be fine.” Kyungsoo moves out of his seat and begins to make his way up the stairs to the second floor of his house where his room is, but not before trailing back and snatching another handful of cookies. His mom sees this and yells at Kyungsoo, as he runs up the stairs, about how he is going to regret eating so many cookies before dinner.

The sun shines bright and warm through the kitchen window. Its rays hitting the oddly lonely looking pristine white tulips on the kitchen counter.

˙˚˙༓࿇༓˙˚˙

“It’s been twenty one years since then. Do you really think that kid is still alive?”

“Do you really think she would lie about something like this?”

“Well no, but-”

“You dare doubt her words?”

“Well, she did lie to all of us about this once so-”

“It doesn’t matter what you or I think, Jongdae. What matters is what she said and that is that her kid is still alive.”

Jongdae scoffs. “Right, and you’re just going to stand there and tell me that this new revelation doesn’t piss you off even a little bit? C’mon! Junmyeon, you can’t fool me.”

Junmyeon replies through clenched teeth, “Jongdae, you know that I can’t let my feelings get in the way. My aunt might have helped raise me as if I was her own, but that doesn’t automatically make me next in line to inherit the throne!”

“But it’s not fair-”

“It doesn’t matter if you think it’s not fair. The clans want and follow the hierarchy, remember? It’s the whole reason we’re being sent off to that forsaken town to rescue the kid.” Junmyeon runs his hand through his hair in annoyance.

Jongdae sighs. “So, we’re really doing this? We’re really going into that demon infested sacred site just to save a kid that ‘might’ be alive?”

Junmyeon nods. “Unless you would rather deny a direct order from the royal family, then by all means, be my guest.”

“No, thanks. I would rather die a painful and excruciating death than have to sit and listen to a bunch of old farts give me a lecture on manners and the logistics of the stupid hierarchy for not obeying.”

An amused smirk settles itself on Junmyeon’s face. “That’s what I thought. Now, let’s head out. We have our future King to save.”


	4. Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His "reality"

Kyungsoo's eyes move rapidly from left to right as he watches the outside scenery fleeting by. Greys and more greys pass by, with the occasional filtering bright yellow sunlight, as the bus he's on makes its usual route through the city and towards the downtown area, where his apartment is located.

It's been years since Kyungsoo graduated from high school. Presently, he has already spent three years of his life at university and he hopes to finish his studies in a year's time. Kyungsoo was no longer the naive, sixteen-year old boy who would come home and find homemade peanut butter cookies and ice cold lemonade waiting for him. Now when he goes home, there is just a dark and empty apartment that waits for his arrival. It is quiet and lonely and Kyungsoo comes up with every excuse to keep from getting home so early. On the bright side, there is a small flower shop on the way to Kyungsoo's apartment so, he always manages to bring home his favorite tulips to his apartment.

The stop to get off at the flower shop approaches so, Kyungsoo makes sure to gather his belongings so as not to miss the stop. He takes advantage of the fact that the next bus won't come for another 30 minutes to look around the flower shop. The shop has all the flowers in existence and in every color one could think of. Kyungsoo never paid much attention to how the owners of the shop could get their hands on such flowers. It has always just been a fleeting concern because, once he sets his eyes on the white tulips, all his concerns just seem to vanish.

The white petals feel like velvet and are cool to the touch. White tulips always bring back memories of his mother, who used to always tend to them in the front yard of their family home. The delicate flowers offered a semblance of comfort for Kyungsoo ever since he moved out on his own. They reminded him of home. They reminded him of the nurturing mother he had left behind and missed, dearly.

The minutes fly by quickly as Kyungsoo buys a new bunch of flowers for his apartment and makes his way back to the bus stop. Not even a minute passes before the bus arrives and Kyungsoo climbs on and takes a seat at the far left corner in the back. He figures he'll get comfortable since it's a long ride back home, after all. With tulips in hand, Kyungsoo lets out a content sigh as he sits down. The bus begins to move and Kyungsoo began having a hard time keeping his eyes open as the the gentle rocking of the moving bus drives him to sleep.

˙˚˙༓࿇༓˙˚˙

Dark figures run rampant through the corridors. A multitude of painful screams and pleads for help are heard all throughout the mansion and its grounds. Many warriors and members of a dark army can be found out on the grounds of the mansions and even further out in the wooded meadows. The warriors search for places to hide so they could conceal themselves from the enemy. Some of them escape the dark figures, but others are not as fortunate. Hot burning flames are everywhere; consuming everything and anything they touch. Lightning bolts propel down from the skies and attack the earth. Strong winds push, shove, and tear at anything they can get hold of. Parts of the mansion and the ground outside have been frozen over; the surface of the ice reflecting the chaos of the night. It is a scene of mother nature's finest putting up a fight against darkness.

The dark figures run up and down stairs; move left and right scouring each room of the place. They search for something. They want something. They tear apart anything and anyone who gets in their way. The sound of precious porcelain and glass shattering on hard chestnut wooden floors can be heard from all corners of the house. The breaking of wood and the crunching of bones is deafening.

Among all the sounds, there is one particular disturbance that pierces through all of them. A woman yells out in excruciating pain and then everything goes quiet. For a moment, everything stands still. For a split second, amidst all the debris and slaughtered corpses, amidst the bloodthirsty fog of the enemy, for a split second, everything enters a state of peace and quiet. The moment ends abruptly with a blinding bright light enveloping the entire mansion.

˙˚˙༓࿇༓˙˚˙

Kyungsoo's body jolts him awake. The nightmares he had always had when he was younger only followed him into adulthood. It was safe to say that by this point in time, Kyungsoo was used to waking up disheveled and exhausted every time he had them. It was rather odd when he didn't. However, this time the nightmare was different. Kyungsoo had woken up with a feeling of extreme emptiness and sorrow. All the other times, he had always woken up with a chill running down his spine and a sense of dread. He would experience an immense urge to hide, and at the same time, an immense urge to run and get out. However, he never really knew from who or what exactly he was suppose to run and hide from. He just knew he had to get away. Not this time. This time, there was no urge to run and hide. No urge to leave everything and save himself. He just felt empty. Kyungsoo wipes at the tears that, he assumed, had formed in his eyes while he slept. He thought it was only a few stray tears but, for some reason, a sudden waterfall of tears make their way down his face. Kyungsoo can't understand why he feels so distraught.

Thankfully, the tears stop and all Kyungsoo is left with are some sniffles and hiccups. He finally focuses on where he is, only to find that he is still on the bus. Except now, the filtering yellow light from the sun is replaced with the darkness of the night. Kyungsoo is confused because it shouldn't have taken so long to get to his home. He assumes he missed his stop while he nodded off, but is even more puzzled when the bus driver informs him that he still hadn't gotten to that stop yet.

The fluorescent lights inside the bus flicker as Kyungsoo sits back down in his seat. He clenches his left hand into a fist as his heartbeat picks up. He couldn't understand why it had suddenly become night and the bus driver didn't seem alarmed. The stems of the tulips in his left hand bend under his grip as he had completely forgotten he had the flowers in his hand. Without thinking, Kyungsoo abruptly releases his hold on the flowers. There is a low hum in his ears as time slows down while he watches the white petals scatter down onto the floor. For an inexplicable reason, Kyungsoo's heart begins to ache. It’s an indescribable pain. He can only equate the feeling to what it must feel like to be stabbed in the chest and then have the steel knife slowly twisted. It felt both hot and cold and the pressure in Kyungsoo's chest was making it hard for him to breathe.

The world around him spins as he falls on his knees and he doesn't even realize that he's somehow already home and in his small apartment room. Questions of how he got there or wasn't he just on the bus a second ago are forgotten as Kyungsoo desperately scrambles to get onto his bed. He closes his eyes, hoping to will the pain away, and as he does, his body instantly falls asleep. His mind, however, is taken to a far away place Kyungsoo has never been. But, strangely feels achingly familiar.

That night he dreams another dream. He dreams of a boy holding his mother’s hand. They are walking in a meadow. Kyungsoo watches from behind as the mother with long raven hair lets go of the little boy’s hand and walks away until her form slowly fades. The child is alone and does not notice the absence of his mother. Kyungsoo does not understand why the woman would leave the child behind, but nonetheless, he falls to knees and starts to cry along with the child, who has realized his mother has left. His body trembles violently as the emotions of sorrow and fear hit him hard. None of it makes sense, but the pain becomes unbearable and Kyungsoo cannot help but to scream in anguish. Everything goes black after that.


	5. Part III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello, stranger...

The leaves on the branches of trees rustle with the gentle push of a cool breeze. The branches themselves begin to sway in the direction of the wind. Sun rays enter through the gaps between the branches of the trees and cover the meadow grounds in a vibrant yellow light. The breeze keeps blowing and the meadow erupts in a soothing tune of rustling leaves and whistling air. 

With its scarcity of trees and wild animals, the meadows are generally a very lonely place. There isn’t a soul in sight and one couldn’t be found for miles. Except for today. Today, a day when the sun is shining brightly and the gentle winds blow, today the presence of two very unique and condemned souls accompany the lonely meadow. 

A little boy, no older than five, walks hand in hand with his mother through the meadow. Wide eyes roam the expanse of the meadow, taking in every tree, every wildflower, and every rare instance that one of the small wild animals that inhabit the meadow crosses the child’s path. A radiant smile, one filled with unquestionable traces of innocence and purity, appears on the little one’s face. His heart fills with wonder the more he walks through the meadow. The child excitedly squeezes the mother’s hand. The mother smiles lovingly at her child’s excitement. It’s not the first time the child has been to the meadow, but the child just can’t help the excitement and happiness that fills him every time he came to visit. Honestly, if given the choice, the child would love to spend the entire day, or everyday for that matter, in this place and he would never grow tired of it. 

They finally reach the pond of lilies and when the body of water comes within eyesight, the little boy’s face lights up. Without a second thought, he lets go of his mother’s hand and sprints forward to play at the edge of the pond. The joyous laughter of a child fills the air and the mother can only look ahead as her child plays on his own. The child continues to play, blatantly forgetting that he didn’t come alone, but what is a child to do when the wonders of nature willingly come before him and peak his curiosity? The child becomes oblivious to his surroundings. He becomes oblivious to the fact that his mother is no longer next to him, but a far distance behind him. 

It’s only when a toad leaps up into the air and lands close to the small boy, surprising him and making him fall backwards into the shallow end of the pond, that he then begins to call out out for his mother. He calls once and then twice, but he gets no response. He pushes himself upright with his small arms and turns around to look for his mom. Except, she isn’t there. The little boy’s eyes widen in fear and tears begin to fill his eyes to the brim. Panic starts to build up inside of him when he turns his head left and right, searching for his mother and finds no one. He runs out of the cold water and starts heading the way they came from. He doesn’t see anyone. He screams for his mom but the only response he gets is the rustling of the leaves and the whistling winds. 

The sun shines brightly on the small boy’s face as he runs as far as his short legs could carry him. It isn’t long before he is tired out and he slumps down onto the meadow grounds. Tear after tear, wipe after wipe his tears just won't stop falling. The little boy whimpers as the realization that he has been left alone sets in. He cries for what, to him, feels like an eternity. The sun stops shining brightly when dark clouds begin to roll in. The winds begin to pick up and the temperature drops drastically. The little boy begins to shiver and he wraps his arms around himself, hugs his knees close to his chest and curls up into a ball to keep what little warmth he has left. He wishes his mom would come back and take him home. He doesn’t want to be alone anymore. All he wants is to go back home.

˙˚˙༓࿇༓˙˚˙

The first thing that catches Kyungsoo’s attention is the pungent damp odor that assaults his nostrils. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he can’t quite comprehend why his room smells like a wet towel that has been abandoned on a bathroom floor and left there to stink up the place. Kyungsoo stirs and lazily starts to open his eyes. Upon opening them fully, the male feels a stray tear escape from the edge of his eye, leaving behind a wet trail down the side of his cheek, all the way to the lobe of his ear. He had been crying in his sleep. Kyungsoo senses that familiar nagging feeling at the back of his mind that tells him that he, or rather his mind, was just somewhere else a few moments ago and tries to recall the fleeting contents of the dream he just had.

Kyungsoo quickly forgets about trying to remember the dream he had when the second thing to catch his attention proves to be of greater concern than a forgotten dream. The doe-eyed male looks up at what he thought he knew to be the light blue ceiling of his room, but instead finds that the ceiling he is looking up at is a dark grey color. Blue painted wood was replaced by grey stone and Kyungsoo’s state of confusion only worsens. It's a foreign sight and he knows better than to believe that he is still in his room, but denial seems to be working harder to prove that it is a better friend than the cold hard reality. Kyungsoo hesitates to turn his head and take a look at the remaining expanse of the place where he has woken up. The beginnings of a full blown sense of panic have started to kindle just underneath his skin and it takes a few long minutes before he manages to muster up the courage to rotate his head to the left and look. 

The sight that welcomes him immediately makes him regret ever having turned his head. The phrase ‘ignorance is bliss’ had never resonated with him more than it did in that moment. Kyungsoo takes in the stone grey walls that surrounds him. There are lit fire lamp torches hanging on the walls that emit a faint red-orange light onto the grey stone. The flames flicker wildly and create shadows that dance and jump from wall to wall.

A pained groan escapes Kyungsoo’s lips when he begins to move. His body feels like dead weight and his limbs are extremely tense, causing him to wonder just how long he has been asleep. From past experience, going to school and then working long hours only to come home to fall into a deep sleep the minute his head hits the pillow, he can only figure that he is just waking up from a similar deep sleep. His body must have been at rest and stayed in one position the entire time he had been asleep. When his joints begin to crack and pop, following the little amount of movement he could muster, he can tell just how much the lack of movement had caused his body to grow sore and stiff. 

Kyungsoo, however, still manages to roll over onto his left side. He is met with a face full of white softness the moment he rolls over. He grabs at the pillow underneath his head and tries to move it away from his line of sight. He looks down and finds that he is lying on a large bed. Kyungsoo finally pays attention to the material that had been covering him and finds that it is a very thick and heavy deep burgundy duvet. His wandering hands glide over the softness of the white satin sheets under the large duvet and a sheen of cold sweat begins to form on Kyungsoo’s brow and the nape of his neck. His nerves are on edge now because he can’t, for the life of him, figure out where he is. This place is utterly unrecognizable. He does not recognize the ceiling, nor the bed, nor the sheets that envelop him. 

Despite the numerous layers of material that lay over him, Kyungsoo is still very cold. No, not cold. More than that. The male is actually freezing. The cold has seeped into the depths of his bones causing the male to begin shivering uncontrollably as a response. The hairs on the back of his neck begin to stand on end soon after. When his body begins to shake violently from the unbearable cold, Kyungsoo decides to look down and notices the black silk set of pajamas that wrap and cling around his body. The clothing looks so foreign to him and it is definitely not something that he remembers ever owning. Kyungsoo blinks rapidly a few times and wipes at his eyes because he is sure he must be dreaming. If not that, then he would settle for him just being in one of those hyper realistic nightmares that had become a normal occurrence for him. 

The sound of water slowly dripping down onto the hard stone floor and Kyungsoo's labored breathing echos relentlessly among the stone grey walls of the room. An awful feeling of dread starts to bloom in Kyungsoo's core and the male tries hard to fight off his body's innate instinct for fight or flight. He can feel the adrenaline beginning to coarse through his veins as his heart begins hammering wildly in his chest. He takes a sharp intake of breath and uses his arms to push himself backwards until his back meets the mattress again. 

That small act of movement leaves him winded and exhausted. He can't do anything but to stare back up at the unfamiliar stone ceiling and take in deep breaths in an effort to calm himself down. Kyungsoo's throat aches as he attempts to swallow away the dryness in his mouth. He hadn't realized it before, but as he tries to swallow again he realizes just how dry his mouth really is. His throat feels unnaturally sore and it aches for even just a single drop of water. Kyungsoo licks his lips and it's an act done in vain because instead of leaving any moisture behind, his lips only become drier. 

Kyungsoo gathers his resolve and attempts to push himself upright on the bed, but the strength in his arms is too weak and he visibly shakes as he struggles to get up. The need to find a way out of there is what drives Kyungsoo to ignore the painful strain in his arms and push through until he is almost sitting up. He almost makes it, but the strength in his arms disappears so suddenly and causes him to fall back. He can't help the 'oomph' that escapes his lips as his back hits the firm mattress. Kyungsoo elicits an exasperated breath as he mentally curses his body for not obeying and cooperating the way he wants it to. He fights back tears of frustration because his body just won't move and he doesn't know how long he will be in this place until someone finds him. 

That is, if anyone finds him and if anyone is actually looking for him. 

Kyungsoo briefly entertains the latter thought and in doing so, memories of his mom begin to flood his mind. He instantly feels a pang of sadness as he worries about the rattled state his mom would be in right about now. The last thing Kyungsoo would want to do is to worry his mom, but looking at the situation he is in, he can't help but feel guilty that he would be the reason for her being in that inevitable state of desperation to find her one and only son. 

~I am sorry I couldn't protect you…~

The voice of a woman makes Kyungsoo stop his movements. He abruptly whips his head to the side, trying to locate the source of the voice he had just heard. He was positive that he had been the only one in the room since he had woken up. 

~I am sorry I couldn't help you…~

The voice is extremely faint and barely above a whisper. For a fleeting moment, the thought that the voice could belong to his mom crosses Kyungsoo's mind. However, the more Kyungsoo thinks about it, the more it seems wrong to assume that the voice could belong to her. He knows the female voice isn't his mom's, or maybe it is? It’s strange, but the more Kyungsoo tries to recall the way his mom’s voice sounded, the more he can’t remember what she actually sounded like. His memory fails him and he can’t recall the voice of the mom he loved so dearly. The memory wasn’t there. It was as if he had never actually heard her at all. 

Nonetheless, Kyungsoo is sure that this isn't the first time he has heard the voice that just spoke to him. This voice is so achingly familiar, but he just can't seem to recall who it belongs to. He really wants to say it's his mom's. He wants to believe that maybe his mind is just trying to shield itself from the situation he is in by imagining her voice calling to him. He wants to believe that, he really does. But, Kyungsoo knows better. It doesn't make sense for that voice to be his mom's because he can't even begin to fathom the reason as to why his mom would even be apologizing in the first place. For what? What had she done wrong?

~My child, please forgive me…~

It has to be his mom. Kyungsoo is convinced that the voice he is hearing has to belong to his mom. It’s definitely her and part of him is elated to know that the voice is his mom’s, but another part of him is filling with dread because he doesn’t know why there is a feeling deep within him of an inexplicable sense of longing, like he has been away from her for far too long.

Moments pass and Kyungsoo doesn't hear the voice again. Kyungsoo lets out an exasperated sigh. He doesn't have time to figure out if his mind was playing tricks on him and he had just imagined everything that just happened, so instead, he focuses his attention on his first priority, which is finding a way out, and attempts to make his body move again. He goes to move again, but suddenly stops when he hears a rustling sound. He momentarily freezes because was there really someone else in the room with him? Was his mind really not just imagining that voice? 

Kyungsoo hears the rustling noise again and it sounds like someone, or something, is scratching on a wooden surface. The male grows even more confused when the sound seems to be coming from somewhere up above. His eyes roam over the entirety of the room again, in an effort to find the source of the sound. The lighting in the room was so dim that he hadn't even noticed that there were actual stone steps on the far left side of the room that travel up. At first Kyungsoo figures that the desperation to get out of there just pushed his mind's sanity to the edge, causing him to imagine things and create sounds that aren't there to begin with. 

After more than a few minutes pass by, Kyungsoo deems he is losing his mind and is quick to dismiss the scratching sounds as some kind of auditory hallucination. That is, until he hears the sound start up again. It's louder this time and Kyungsoo can say, with certainty, that the sound is coming from somewhere at the top of those, very real, stone steps. He assumes there's some kind of wooden door that is blocking whoever or whatever is making the sound at the top. 

Kyungsoo had felt somewhat tired and drained ever since he woke up and that groggy feeling still had yet to leave his body. He still struggles to lift himself up so he settles for rolling onto his side again and using his arms to pull himself to the edge of the bed. The duvet and satin sheets around him get tangled among one another along with Kyungsoo's limbs. The doe-eyed male sets his mind on just rolling off of the bed and crawling his way to the steps as a last resort, but stops in his movements when a deep rumbling sound reverberates all around him. 

The scratchy rustling sounds at the top of the steps stop, as if in response to the deep rumbling. There is a moment of stillness and silence before the rumbling starts again, and this time a lot louder, making the stone walls of the room vibrate and shake with fervor. Fear begins to form deep in Kyungsoo's core as he begins to pick up on the faint echoes of what sounds like people yelling and screaming. 

The vibrations and the rumblings don't cease, but instead grow stronger and louder. Kyungsoo tries not to think too much of who or what exactly could be the culprit of those strong vibrations. He tries to ignore all the faint panicked screaming and yelling that is coming from up above in order to retain what little sanity and sense of calm he has left, but his efforts prove futile when the rustling sound at the top of the steps starts up again. This time the scratching against the wood sounding more urgent than when he had first heard it. 

For some inexplicable reason, Kyungsoo begins to feel even more light-headed and weaker than before. Being anxious definitely did not help his well-being. Not that he could have helped it, since it was his body's own natural response to the sense of danger. Kyungsoo hadn't been in good condition from the start and the toll that the sudden adrenaline and onslaught of negative emotions had taken on his body was only now, starting to show. He had barely made it to the edge of the bed before he started to lose what little strength and energy he had. 

Cold sweat continues to form all over his body, soaking right through the silk clothing, and his breathing becomes even more shallow. The eyelids of his eyes grow heavy with sleep and it becomes difficult to keep his eyes open with the more seconds that pass by. A sudden pressure makes itself known in the center of Kyungsoo's chest and the male has to work at bringing in air into his lungs. It is a burning and stinging pain that starts to spread from the center of his chest to the rest of his body. A wave of nausea crashes over Kyungsoo and the fact that he is faced down on the bed is only making the urge to vomit out the entirety of his stomach contents even worse. 

Now, Kyungsoo can barely hear the rustling at the top of the steps due to the onslaught of his own blood rushing in his ears. He misses the crackling of air that disturbs the empty space in front of him and the sudden sound of light footsteps that follow. Kyungsoo faintly registers the feeling of being grabbed by the arm and only realizes that he is being moved around when the room suddenly spins way too fast to be normal. He feels himself being lifted up just enough for his upper body to be off of the mattress. His sight became blurry again, but he could still make out the smudged edges of the dancing shadows on the stone ceiling of the room. 

Kyungsoo knows he is looking at the ceiling because he can feel his neck hanging and leaning backwards out of his control. He forces himself to try his hardest to regain control of his body enough to tilt his head forward. Kyungsoo squints his eyes to focus on the person in his direct line of vision who is actually there in the room with him. He had been alone from the moment he woke up, but now there was someone, very real, there with him. He feels a warm touch on the side of his cheek and Kyungsoo manages to see the blurry profile of someone's face right in front of his. The male can't, for the life of him, focus his eyesight enough to make out the details of the person's face so, all he can make out is the out of focus tan skin that makes up the stranger's face. Kyungsoo can feel the hot breath that hits his neck as the mysterious person leans in close. 

However, even though it's nice to know that he isn't alone anymore, Kyungsoo still does not know who this person could be or what kind of intentions this person may have. When Kyungsoo feels the brief grazing of hot skin on his very cold cheek, Kyungsoo begins to struggle to pull himself free of the stranger's hold. The effort proves futile because instead of breaking away from the stranger's touch, a faint involuntary groan escapes through his pale lips. The heat against Kyungsoo's neck disappears as soon as it came. 

The male whines when his back, once again, hits the mattress. Kyungsoo soon realizes that his body's response is somehow even worse than it had been just a few moments ago. The painful pressure in his chest has already spread to his entire body causing huge amounts of discomfort. It's unfortunate but by this point Kyungsoo can't even muster the energy to panic. He could not choose to fight back even if he wanted to. Kyungsoo is forced to ignore the warning bells, that signal danger, going off at the back of his mind and just accept the fact that he is utterly and hopelessly at the mercy of the only other person in the room.

Despite the loud pounding of blood in his ears, Kyungsoo still manages to hear the loud cracking of what could only be described as the sound of wood breaking followed by the faint sound of heavy footsteps descending from somewhere up above. The moment is all a confusing haze as Kyungsoo's head sways from side to side and the ceiling continues to spin. The bedridden male notices the outline of the tan stranger standing in front of the bed. 

Kyungsoo struggles to fight against his own failing senses and forces his eyes to focus. He can make out the outline of the stranger's back as said man moves to stand with his back to him. The stranger appears to be standing firm and somewhat hunched at the shoulders. The left side of the stranger's body is shifted forward reminding Kyungsoo of the standard fighting stances that he had always seen in the action movies he used to marathon on the weekends. Kyungsoo clenches his jaw when the heavy footsteps become more audible suggesting that the owner of those footsteps is getting closer. 

Completely immobile by this point, Kyungsoo doesn't know what is going to happen next, nor does he know if he can truly trust the stranger that appears to be willing to protect him from the intruder. He doesn't know if the stranger is the good guy that finally found where he was being kept captive or if the tan stranger was actually the bad guy that just happened to get to him first, before the good guys. 

Kyungsoo doesn't know. However, what he does know is that, on his own, he is undoubtedly in no position to successfully fight and make it out unscathed from the events that are meant to unfold next. Kyungsoo can vaguely make out a blurry figure that appears at the bottom of the stone steps, right in front of the tan stranger. He holds his breath and waits for the impending fate that awaits him.


End file.
